175mm

This photo shows a 175 MM gun. The carrier vehicles for these weapons could mount either a 175 MM gun or an 8 In. howitzer. Don't ask me the difference between a gun and a howitzer. The 8" howitzer had the reputation for being the most accurate indirect fire weapon of that era, and had a slightly larger projectile than the 155 MM. The projectile for the 175mm weighs 147 lbs and the projo for the 8" weighs an even 200 lbs. The range of the 175mm gun is 32,700 meters and the 8" is 16,800. Units with these weapons could change the barrells and other hardware on them to convert from 175 MM to 8" depending on the needs of the mission, though the switch was a rather heavy and time consuming process so they did not routinely change between 175 MM and 8" without a good reason.
Jim Good

RE: Gun vs Howitzer Jim I was surfing and came across the A Troop $th Squadron 12th Cav. web site ( http://www.atroop412cav.com/tools/index.html ). Since I was a gunner/chief of section on a 175 gun, when I saw your picture I had to look in detail. In the write up you said that you did not know the difference between a gun and a howitzer. You may have heard already, but in case, a howitzer's round follows a high arch on the way to the traget. The arch may be higher then it is wide. Very good for shooting into forts. The round goes high and then falls behind the walls, amost straight down. On the other hand a gun fires a low flat path to target. Great for shooting at the walls of the fort. Iwas was with the 8th Battlaion 4th Artillery ( www.8th-4th-arty.com ) and the 2nd Battalion 94th Artillery ( www.2ndbattalion94thartillery.com ). Come look at our sites. Chris Cunningham Sgt. 8/4 2/94 Vietnam 71-72 --